by Josh Perkins, Prepared Foods Category Manager
2020: a year like no other I can remember, not even close. The winter holidays arrived as the nation was in political turmoil, and public health needs meant we simply couldn’t celebrate with family and friends in the ways we normally plan to. And, through all of what we’ve lived through, getting and preparing food has undergone a giant shift, beginning early in the pandemic with a much-publicized renaissance of home baking. We do almost everything differently now, including food.
Some things endure
We look to 2021 as full of possibilities. This will no doubt mean that many of us who have been homebound and less active than we’d like this year will be thinking, again, of how to better ourselves as the calendar rolls over. Like a kinder and gentler hangover, the aftermath of the many plates of foods, sweet and savory, and the irresistible naps of a short day come calling.
So, how do you keep from being that person on a brisk 5k on January
2nd and a brisk descent into sea-salt caramels January 15th? It’s not easy. What’s easy is thinking that a date on a calendar can make you into a different person. Birthdays don’t, do they? Yet we expect we can use a new year to “optimize,” to now do the things we never found the resolve to do in the previous years.
Here are a couple ways of thinking about and eating food that aren’t snake oil for the heartsick. Very few of us are going to make a radical change to an all-greens, no-carb diet that will become our new way of living. In my opinion, we also don’t get far with well-advertised diet plans that let us “eat anything you want!” Getting better isn’t a magic trick; it’s a gradual process. So here are my ideas for some New Year’s Resolutions that may actually stick and may actually feel good.
Don’t eat if you’re not hungry
No, don’t stop to count how many times you have eaten because “it’s lunchtime.” I personally have consumed many thousands of calories this way. Today, we’re living in a culture where food is constantly presented to us, always within reach. It may be hard to even realize whether you’re hungry or not, just that it’s a certain time of day. Identify those times of the day when you feel you are supposed to eat. Set an alarm for those times. When the alarm goes off, stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and take stock. Are you hungry? Actually feeling hunger? If you’re not—don’t eat. It really is that simple.
Make a small but permanent change
Pick one meal in your day and make a small, but permanent change. Lots of options here. We all have habits. One of mine used to be a mayo-slathered sandwich and a small bag of chips for lunch. It was not over the top, but moving to a big green salad had a profound effect. I didn’t change anything else and I loaded plenty on those salads. It was nice not to be overthinking or tracking a personal data set of some kind, not to take on a new app or product to try to eat right. Just pick one thing you can change without too much trouble or pain. Stick with it.
I will be trying as hard as all of you to follow these principles! They may be simple, but they aren’t easy. When all is said and done, it amounts to little more than doing what you want to beyond being swayed by a momentary urge. We all do this, every day.
New Years meal bundles
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we are featuring a special meal bundle in the New Year, aimed to make eating better easier. Each week, you can choose any of our boxed salads—Spinach, Caesar, Greek, or Ranchero—and pair with a deli-roasted chicken, both for $15. Treat yourself and make one night a week an easy dinner prep and cleanup. I wish you the best and a healthy 2021!